Medication dispensing system

Abstract

Methods and systems for a drug supply with an associated dosage regimen are described. A plurality of dosage containers are sequentially stored in drug boxes. The dosage containers are associated with a first time of treatment. The drug boxes are associated with a certain recurring time, e.g., morning, afternoon and evening or four boxes associated with four times a day. The entire day is covered by a plurality of drug boxes for treatment. This organizes the drugs such that compliance with complex treatment regimens may be increased. The drugs in each of the dosage containers need not be the same dosage or even the same drugs each time.

We claim: 
     
       1. A medication dispenser, comprising:
 a plurality of dosage containers each configured to store a pharmaceutical dose, the plurality of dosage containers being positioned based on an order of treatment, wherein a dosage container of the plurality of dosage containers includes a transparent medication storing bag enclosing at least one sachet with a drug information area of the at least one sachet being visible through the medication storing bag, the medication storing bag being a single treatment for a drug regimen and configured to enclose all sachets for the single treatment; and 
 at least one box including a plurality of box walls to define an interior storage for the plurality of dosage containers in an ordered position, the ordered position being a sequence for the order of treatment; 
 wherein the plurality of box walls includes:
 a front wall of the plurality of box walls having a level indicator to view at least one of a remaining amount of dosage containers in the interior storage, a removed amount of the plurality of dosage containers from the at least one box, or both, and 
 a dispensing aperture located in at least one of the plurality of box walls to allow a next dosage container of the plurality of dosage containers to be removed from the interior storage. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The medication dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sachet is configured to store a pharmaceutical dose that is based on a weight of a patient. 
     
     
       3. The medication dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sachet is configured to store a first number of pills for a first patient, wherein the first number of pills is greater than a second number of pills required for a second patient who has a first weight that is lighter than a second weight of the first patient. 
     
     
       4. The medication dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of dosage containers are positioned in a horizontal orientation with indicia on each of the plurality dosage containers facing upwardly and the plurality of dosage containers are vertically stacked one on top of the other. 
     
     
       5. The medication dispenser of  claim 1 , further comprising a dose tracker that includes a check box that can be marked to indicate that an associated pharmaceutical dose has been taken. 
     
     
       6. The medication dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one box is portable. 
     
     
       7. The medication dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of dosage containers includes at least one placebo dosage container that does not have a pharmaceutical active ingredient to treat a patient with the at least one placebo dosage container having the same number of sachets and placebo pills in the sachets as a non-placebo dosage container. 
     
     
       8. The medication dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the dispensing aperture is sized to allow a single one of the plurality of dosage containers to be removed from the interior storage at a single time. 
     
     
       9. The medication dispenser of  claim 8 , wherein the dispensing aperture is positioned adjacent a bottom of the at least one box with the next dosage container to supply a treatment to a patient at the dispensing aperture, the next dosage container being associated with a remote indicator at the level indicator such that a last dosage container is positioned at the remote indicator to provide a visual reference of the treatment being dispensed at the dispensing aperture. 
     
     
       10. The medication dispenser of  claim 8 , wherein the dispensing aperture is sized so that one dosage container is visible or accessible from outside the at least one box. 
     
     
       11. The medication dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the dosage container of the plurality of dosage containers includes a tray with an opening and an outer casing to removably close the opening in the tray such that medication in the tray is enclosed until after the outer casing is removed from the tray by longitudinally freely sliding the outer casing off the tray, and wherein the medication storing bag is stored in the tray. 
     
     
       12. The medication dispenser of  claim 11 , wherein the outer casing is slidable on the tray through an aperture in the outer casing with the aperture being transverse to the opening in the tray and a construction of the outer casing and the tray is sized to allow a single assembly of one tray and one outer casing to be removed through the dispensing aperture at one time with a plurality of assemblies of one tray and one outer casing being stored in the at least one box. 
     
     
       13. The medication dispenser of  claim 8 , wherein each of the at least one box is associated with each time period in a day that a drug is taken, wherein each of the plurality of dosage containers in a respective box of the at least one box contains an item to be taken at a same time each day for the order of treatment, and wherein the item is the pharmaceutical dose or a placebo. 
     
     
       14. A medication dispenser, comprising:
 a plurality of dosage containers storing a transparent medication bag enclosing therein at least one sachet containing at least one medication, each of the plurality of dosage containers including drugs needed for a single dose at a particular time according to a drug treatment regime; 
 a plurality of dispensing boxes, a number of plurality of dispensing boxes being equal to a number of medication dispensing actions taken during at the particular time over a time period of the drug treatment regime, each of the plurality of dispensing boxes including a plurality of walls defining an interior storage for the plurality of dosage containers, wherein the plurality of dosage containers in a first dispensing box of the plurality of dispensing boxes stores at least one different drug type in another drug dispensing box; 
 a dispensing aperture located in the plurality of dispensing boxes to allow a single one of the plurality of dosage containers to be removed from the interior storage of any of the plurality of dispensing boxes at one time; 
 a level indicator is positioned on a dispensing box of the plurality of dispensing boxes to view a remaining amount of dosage containers in the interior of the dispensing box, a removed amount of dispensing boxes, or both; 
 a dose tracker to allow a user to indicate a drug dosage taken from an associated dispensing box; and 
 a connector to secure the plurality of dispensing boxes together that represents a drug therapy regimen. 
 
     
     
       15. The medication dispenser of  claim 14 , wherein the dispensing aperture is positioned adjacent a bottom of each of plurality of dispensing boxes, respectively, with a next dosage container at the dispensing aperture being associated with a topmost indicator at the level indicator and an upper one of the dose tracker such that a last dosage container is aligned with an indicator for the next dosage container at the dispensing aperture. 
     
     
       16. The medication dispenser of  claim 15 , wherein at least one of the plurality of dosage containers includes a medication storage bag. 
     
     
       17. The medication dispenser of  claim 14 , wherein the connector includes a foot assembly to assist in holding the plurality of dispensing boxes upright. 
     
     
       18. The medication dispenser of  claim 17 , wherein the foot assembly is moveable between a stand-assist position with the dispensing aperture being uncovered and a retracted position for transportation, wherein the foot assembly closes the dispensing aperture in the retracted position to prevent a next dosage container from exiting the dispensing box through the dispensing aperture. 
     
     
       19. The medication dispenser of  claim 18 , wherein the foot assembly includes at least one side wall that extends along a lateral wall of an outer most one of the plurality of box walls. 
     
     
       20. The medication dispenser of  claim 19 , wherein the plurality of dosage containers include a closed dosage box that contains a scheduled dose of medication. 
     
     
       21. The medication dispenser of  claim 18 , wherein the connector includes a backing behind the plurality of dispensing boxes and the foot assembly is pivotably joined to the backing to allow the foot assembly to pivot from the retracted position to the stand-assist position.